Parliament visit for WI

A theme park visitor’s pictures show the dramatic moments when riders on a Hampshire theme park rollercoaster had to be evacuated after it broke down just a week after it opened.

The Velociraptor attraction at Paultons Park near Romsey, Hampshire, stopped mid-way through a ride this morning and about 20 people had to be guided by staff back to the ground.

The ride is part of the £9 Million Lost Kingdom dinosaur-themed area which opened to the public on May 17.

Jo Walker took these pictures as people were led to safety and said: ‘They were all taken down one by one via steps with a safety harness for extra protection. I was happy to go on it when it reopened.’

Rob Griffiths, head of marketing and communications at Paultons Park, said: “We can confirm that after 11am on Thursday we had to carry out a well-practised manual evacuation of the Velociraptor ride.

“Our first priority was to ensure all riders were safely removed from the ride. It was a minor fault soon rectified by the park’s engineering team and the ride is now re-open.

“Guests are now enjoying this along with all the fantastic attractions in our new Lost Kingdom and the other rides around the park.”